Women Airforce Service Pilots honored with presentation at the Air Zoo (with photo gallery)

PORTAGE, MI – The Women Airforce Service Pilots who flew
planes and played a critical role in World War II haven't always gotten the
recognition they deserve, but presentations like the one at the Air Zoo on
Saturday are still aiming to change that.

The WASP is "one of America's greatest and least known
legacies," said Bob Ellis, president and CEO of the Air Zoo.

Five WASP members were in attendance on Saturday: Doris
Nathan, of Kalamazoo; Mildred Jane Doyle, of Grand Rapids; Betty June Brown, of
New Hampshire; Jean McCreery, of Oklahoma; and Thelma Miller, of Ohio.

Around 100 people attended the presentation that included a
question-and-answer session and a historical presentation by author Sarah Byrn
Rickman. There were 1,102 women who earned WASP Wings in World War II.

The women tested planes after they had been repaired, towed
targets for pilots to shoot and flew planes to airfields before they were to
leave for battle overseas. Women were stationed at 120 military bases across
the U.S. and 38 women died in the program.

Nathan said her favorite part of the reunion was listening
to the stories about her comrades. She remembers seeing planes fly overhead
when she was growing up on a farm in California and dreaming about flying one
day.

She learned to fly "for something to do on the weekends" and
later was a test pilot for planes that had undergone repairs. She said it's
important for young kids to learn about the women who flew planes.

"They can expand what they dream about doing in life," she
said.

Brown towed targets behind her plane so other pilots could
get target practice using live ammunition. She said she was more than happy to
have contributed to the war effort.

"That time in the WASP, I really did love," she said. "It
was glorious to be part of it."

Roy Michell and Cheryl Marie Michell, the brother and niece
of Marie Michell Robinson, who was one of the 38 WASP members who died, also
attended the event. Cheryl started a website to remember the women who died and is
still searching for family members and burial sites of six of the women. She said it was an honor to attend Saturday's presentation on her aunt's behalf.

"As tragic as their deaths were for their family and loved
ones, flying was their passion," Cheryl Michell said. "They died serving their country
and living their passion."